Dial 0 for O- S-H-I-T

Today was another one of those horribly adult days for me. A couple months ago I got a letter from the IRS about my income being reported incorrectly for 2008. They had apparently been attempting to get a hold of me for two years but with all the address changes and poor mail delivery in this area (read: my husband’s inability to pass my mail on) I was unaware this problem existed until a couple months ago.

I finally tracked down someone at the IRS (after an entire lunch hour on hold) and learned that a company I had never heard of issued me a W2 for the year 2008. Turns out my old company contracted with a third party for my maternity leave and given said maternity leave/new baby haze I did not remember that the leave check I received was from a third party. Thus I did not miss the W2’s I never received from that company.

Anyway, two + years and $500 + fines later (oh and did I mention that entire lunch hour) my 2008 taxes were finally sorted out. The other fun news that resulted from that same call was the very kind man I talked to (the one who noticed from the information on his screen that my husband and I now have different addresses on file, and commented on it in a very appropriate and understanding way that I can’t quite recall) who told me at the end that it was his job to ensure I knew everything about my tax status and did I know that we had never filed our 2009 taxes? I could tell just by the way he asked the question that he had already presumed the answer; you know, given the differing addresses, my lack of mail delivery and all.

So for the past two weeks I’ve been tackling the 2009 taxes. Turned out they were mostly completed. My husband had just needed to complete one, one page form and get it approved before we sent them in. I’m not sure about your husband’s but for mine, this took nearly two years! Yes….TWO. YEARS.

With form (finally) in hand I called H&R Block and played phone tag over the last two weeks with an essentially very kind, although also very confused woman who helped me get the taxes completed. Thank God we could do this over the phone as the closest office to me is 2 ½ hours away and I just needed this to be behind me.

So after another full lunch hour on the phone it is now officially behind me. For the first time in years I will be a tax payer in good standing soon and can continue to move forward with the rest of the financial wreck that is my divorcing life.

Speaking of which, having tackled the taxes with such great results I felt I should push my luck by attempting to call the hospital and sort out the confusion that is my bill there, from my ER visit for my broken ankle. Now…I heard a rumor from the most reliable source in my life (three year olds hear every word you say, you know that right?) that my husband’s girlfriend is now working at the hospital here in town. No one I know is sure what department or even if it’s true but today, when I had to call about my bill I got a recording that said “This extension is no longer in service, please dial 0 to be redirected to the correct party.”

I pressed 0 and as the phone rang I felt a fear grip me…What if SHE is the correct party? I couldn’t face it. Before the operator came on I slammed down the phone.

So…anyone wanna call the hospital and find out who the new person in billing is?